427
‘About six weeks ago …’ Cited in Noakes and Pridham (eds.), Nazism, Vol. 3, p. 571
429
‘Come on! Drop the bloody things!’ Herrmann, Eagle’s Wings, p. 63
430
‘I was reprimanded …’ Ibid., p. 65
431
‘I reserve … relative strength’ Trevor-Roper (ed.), Hitler’s War Directives, No. 17
432
‘With Russia smashed …’ Halder, Diary, 31/7/1940
Part IV: Battle Over Britain
36. The Wall of England
436–7
‘All repairs and … German economy’ BA-MA RM 7/8/97
438
‘The issue …’ Halder, Diary, 7/8/1940
438
‘This fact must receive …’ BA-MA RM 7/897
438
‘We went hell for leather …’ IWM 15583
440
‘There wasn’t a semblance …’ IWM 028665
441
‘There was an odd feeling …’ Ibid.
442
‘I wondered …’ Steinhilper and Osborne, Spitfire on My Tail, p. 270
443
‘DeTe devices’ BA-MA RL2/II/30
443
‘Everything depends …’ Maier et al., Germany and the Second World War, p. 385
444
‘He is the man …’ Raymond Lee, 7/8/1940
445
‘This was the last straw …’ Bartley, Smoke Trails in the Sky, p. 21
447
‘More Huns than I ever imagined …’ John Dundas papers, letter to Margaret Rawlings, 11/8/1940
447
‘We came down right on top …’ Crook, Spitfire Pilot, p. 42
448
‘They were flying …’ Bethke, diary, 11/8/1940
37. Adlertag
449
‘Calais and …’ Steinhilper and Osborne, Spitfire on My Tail, p. 272
450
‘They were engaged …’ TNA AIR 8/863
451
‘Calling 3 Staffel…’ Cited in Bekker, The Luftwaffe War Diaries, p. 186
454
‘Where the hell …’ Cited in Richard Collier, Eagle Day, p. 56
455
‘Hurricanes near Brighton …’ Bethke, diary, 13/8/1940
455
‘Oh, ein sehr … breakfast’ Cited in Richard Collier, Eagle Day, p. 62
456
‘In our talk …’ Hozzel, ‘Recollections and Experiences …’, p. 55
457
‘Achtung, Achtung …’ TNA AIR 4/21
457
‘We were up at almost 20,000 feet…’ Crook, Spitfire Pilot, p. 47
457
‘A sudden fire ball…’ Hozzel, ‘Recollections and Experiences …’, p. 56
458
‘I shall never again …’ Crook, Spitfire Pilot, p. 49
38. The Biggest Air Battle
460–1
‘How can we possibly win? … race on earth’ Nicolson, HND, 11/8/1940
461
‘The rumours baffle description …’ NCP, NC7/11/33/101
462
‘My Lord,… small details’ Cited in Colville, The Fringes of Power, 10/8/1940
463
‘This war will go on …’ JPK, diary, 14/8/1940
463
‘Let those who say …’ Colville, The Fringes of Power, 10/8/1940
464
‘I’m not having people …’ Cited in Olson and Cloud, For Your Freedom and Ours, p. 117
464
‘Everything here was …’ Zumbach, On Wings of War, p. 65
465
‘The British were wasting …’ Ibid., p. 65
466
‘I flew over to the crash …’ Crook, Spitfire Pilot, p. 50
466
‘If so would you like it?’ Rawlings papers, letter, 18/8/1940
467
‘I have repeatedly … out of action’ AHB, Translation No.VII/39
469
‘Ah, Herr Oberst,… all the same’ Cited in Richard Collier, Eagle Day, pp. 80–1
471
‘A very large number …’ Hugh Dundas papers, letter, 16/8/1940
473
‘The Blenheims had sometimes …’ Crook, Spitfire Pilot, p. 53
473
‘Everything was new …’ Neil, A Fighter in My Sights, p. 112
473
‘After further wanderings …’ Ibid., p. 113
475
‘See that? Looks a bit odd …’ MO diarist 53967
476
‘Don’t speak to me …’ Ismay, Memoirs, p. 182
476
‘The Lord President…’ Colville, The Fringes of Power, 15/8/1940
39. The Hardest Day
477
‘We have no difficulty …’ Halder, Diary, 14/8/1940
478
‘Sea rescue incidents …’ Bethke, memoir, DTA 652.9
478
‘Otherwise they would not’ TNA AIR 8/863
479
‘Our conversations now revolve …’ Bethke, diary, 16/8/1940
480
‘The English are an extraordinary people …’ CBP, diary, 16/8/1940
480
‘The usual story of bricks …’ Ibid.
481
‘… meanwhile, in Britain …’ Punch, 14/8/1940
481
‘Atmosphere cheerful…’ Cockett, Love and War in London, 17/8/1940
481–2
‘People here, the ordinary …’ Daily Express, 14/8/1940
482
‘twenty little silver fish …’ Nicolson, HND, 18/8/1940
483
‘There they are!’ Colville, The Fringes of Power, 18/8/1940
485
‘Our casualties were …’ TNA AIR 27/300
486
‘Christ, this is the end … smoke and flame’ Hugh Dundas, Flying Start, p. 50, and Evening Standard, 6/1/1960
487
‘Very sorry indeed to hear …’ Hugh Dundas papers, letter, 25/8/1940
40. Bombs on Berlin
489–90
‘We pilots … the struggle’ Galland, The First and the Last, p. 39
495
‘We have reached …’ AHB, Translation No.VII/39
495
‘One eye – one beam!’ Jones, Most Secret War, p. 120
498
‘For the first time …’ Shirer, Berlin Diary, 29/8/1940
41. Tactics and Technicalities
499
‘It sounds all right in theory …’ Hughes, diary, 11/8/1940
500
‘Night ops in good weather …’ Ibid., 12/8/1940
500
‘All of the pilots … battle of attrition’ Steinhilper and Osborne, Spitfire on My Tail, p. 283
504
‘Never attempt a “tail-chase” …’ Air Ministry, Pilot’s Notes
504
‘In a surprisingly large …’ TNA AVIA 6/2394
505
‘Landed with undercarriage …’ AHB, Hurricane Accident Report Cards 10 July-31 October 1940
506
‘When it hit …’ The Few (2000), ACO/Film/CO Film Channel 5
507
‘The cockpit blew up …’ Ibid.
42. Breaking Point
512
‘On no part of the Royal Air Force …’ WS, 20/8/1940
513
‘The results we could …’ Dönitz [Dönitz], Memoirs, p. 112
514
‘Losses have been very heavy’ TNA CAB 66/11
514
‘startling shipping losses …’ Colville, The Fringes of Power, 30/8/1940
515
‘We cannot afford …’ No. 11 Group Instructions to Controllers, No. 4, private collection
516
‘I shall never forget…’ Crook, Spitfire Pilot, p. 60
516
‘I learnt not to be over-enthusiastic …’ TNA AIR 4/21
518
‘We were heroes …’ The Few (2000), ACO/Film/CO Film Channel 5
519
‘Up to date …’ Cited in James, The Battle of Britain, Appendix 10
521
‘I must protest emphatically …’ WSC, p. 585
522
‘Those brothers are good …’ Bethke, diary, 2/9/1940
522
‘I will never get that far …’ Ibid.
524
‘Before, there were lots of English …’ Ibid., 30/8/1940
524
‘The strain of unrelenting …’ Steinhilper and Osborne, Spitfire on My Tail, p. 287
43. Black Saturday
525
‘It seemed queer …’ Raymond Lee, The London Observer, 29/8/1940
526
‘Will they be able … worn-out destroyers’ JPK, diary, 2/9/1940
527
‘already had unconditional fighter superiority now’ BA-MA RL2/II/30
527
‘English fighter defence hit hard …’ Schramm (ed.), Kriegstagebuch des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht 1940–1941, 3–4/9/1940
528
‘It is being said …’ Stahl, The Diving Eagle, p. 58
529
‘The great query was …’ Elmhirst Papers, ‘An Airman’s Life’
530
‘You must realize …’ Cited in Orange, Park, p. 105
531
‘I should like an outfit …’ Galland, The First and the Last, p. 38
531
‘We have the best fighter in the world!’ Cited in Caldwell, The JG 26 War Diary, p. 71
532
‘This afternoon the decision comes …’ Cited in Irving, Göring, p. 295
534
‘Everywhere was danger …’ Steinhilper and Osborne, Spitfire on My Tall, p. 293
535
‘Just like that…’ Zumbach, On Wings of War, p. 71
537
‘I flew back …’ Neil, A Fighter in My Sights, p. 135
537
‘The pure azure-blue …’ Steinhilper and Osborne, Spitfire on My Tail, p. 293
537
‘Tremendous fires …’ Raymond Lee, The London Observer, 8/9/1940
538
‘The dispersal hut …’ Neil, A Fighter in My Sights, p. 135
538
‘The fires in the docks …’ Jones, Most Secret War, p. 128
538
‘That was preached …’ Herrmann, Eagle’s Wings, p. 66
539
‘The Boche has …’ Raymond Lee, The London Observer, 8/9/1940
44. Summer Madness
541
‘We made up a barrage line …’ IWM 028665
542
‘It was good of you to come … he’s crying’ Cited in Ismay, Memoirs, p. 185
543
‘Nobody was keen …’ IWM 26952
543
‘They flashed their lights …’ Ibid.
543
‘Wherever one looks …’ Stahl, The Diving Eagle, 9/9/1940
544
‘It must be terrible down there …’ Ibid.
544
‘We touch down …’ Ibid., p. 63
546–7
‘We shoot Huns all day … very friendly’ Bartley, Smoke Trails in the Sky, pp. 26–30
549
‘Poor Kathleen, poor parents …’ Hughes, diary, 12/9/1940
549
‘You anaesthetized yourself…’ The Few (2000), ACO/Film/CO Film Channel 5
549
‘This morning he was very perky …’ Hughes, diary, 13/8/1940
549
‘They knew exactly what…’ Bethke, memoir, DTA 652.9
551
‘Writing, reading, playing chess …’ Bethke, diary, 25/8/1940
553
‘We used the phrase …’ BA-MA RL 10.546
553
‘We began to feel the fatigue …’ Steinhilper and Osborne, Spitfire on My Tail, p. 294
45. The Crux
554–5
‘There’s no word I can start off with … seven hours off duty’ Cockett, Love and War in London, 11/9/1940
555
‘Jerky bees …’ Beaton, The Years Between, p. 38
555
‘I wander deserted streets …’ CBP, diary, September 1940
555
‘I felt thoroughly sad …’ Beaton, The Years Between, p. 38
555
‘When we get nearer London …’ Nicolson, HND, 8/9/1940
556
‘But what is happening now …’ WS, 11/9/1940
556
‘Old women and mothers …’ TNA INF 1/250
556
‘Morale has jumped …’ Ibid.
557
‘Do you think … you are wrong’ Cited in Irving, Göring, p. 295
557–8
‘I estimate that … state of affairs’ TNA AIR 40/2400
558
‘That is my whole … crisis with planes’ Bethke, diary, 5/9/1940
558
‘It was a …’ Steinhilper and Osborne, Spitfire on My Tail, p. 294
558
‘We’ve been away since January …’ TNA AR 40/3071
559
‘At St Omer …’ Ibid.
559
‘I touched down …’ Corbin, Last of the Ten Fighter Boys, p. 96
560
‘If air supremacy …’ NHB EDS/Apprec/6: The German Plans for the Invasion of England
561
‘A successful landing … been enormous’ Ibid.
563–4
‘Hello, Gannic … chaps’ Bartley, Smoke Trails in the Sky, pp. 32–4
565
‘Over there we met…’ Steinhilper and Osborne, Spitfire on My Tail, p. 297
566
‘Allied fighter! … a large Scotch’ Zumbach, On Wings of War, p. 76
567
‘The idea is to get up …’ Allan Wright, logbook
567
‘What reserves have we got?’ ‘There are none’ WSC, p. 296
46. Wolfpack
570
‘Sixty kills, twenty losses …’ Bethke, diary, 16/9/1940
571
‘The English have adopted new tactics …’ Cited in Bekker, The Luftwaffe War Diaries, p. 226
572
‘This fellow spoke good English …’ IWM 028665
574
‘We reported to Lorient…’ IWM 26952
574
‘Received wireless message’ NHB, U-48 log, 20/9/1940
574
‘We were pleased …’ Ibid.
575
‘We lost another large number …’ Colville, The Fringes of Power, 22/9/1940
577
‘excessively crowded …’ NHB EDS/Apprec/6, The German Plans for Invasion of England, p. 118
577
‘It does indicate …’ Shirer, Berlin Diary, 23/9/1940
578
‘We can’t get away from the war …’ Wendel, Hausfrau at War, p. 88
578
‘And often they swoop down …’ Shirer, Berlin Diary, 23/9/1940
578
‘12.50 p.m. …’ Colville, The Fringes of Power, 22/9/40
578
‘The British are slowly getting …’ Steinhilper and Osborne, Spitfire on My Tail, p. 298
578
‘I think we all felt…’ Ibid., p. 299
579
‘Days too quiet…’ Bethke, diary, 18–23/9/1940
579
‘If this fellow …’ Bartley, The Few (2000), ACO/Film/CO Film Channel 5
581
‘There was a terrific explosion …’ Crook, Spitfire Pilot, p. 75
582
‘The effect of a Spitfire’s eight guns …’ Ibid., p. 81
582
‘The
last few moments …’ Ibid., p. 82
582–3
‘My red lamp is on! … Who was that?’ Cited in Bergström, Hans-Ekkehard Bob, p. 26
583
‘It was one of the best…’ Crook, Spitfire Pilot, p. 84
47. Exhaustion
The Battle of Britain Page 79
